Monday, January 9, 2017

A few weeks ago I met up at a local coffee shop with these sweet friends.

We were talking about some of our favorite natural remedies/homemade products (& things we wanted to try) so we decided to get together for a fun little DIY day/play date. The kiddos had an absolute blast, & somehow we managed to make these 5 things,

feed them lunch, & the house didn’t totally fall apart. Ha! Lacy was our brave hostess & Megan has made a few of the recipes before so she coached us through those. We compiled a list of everything we’d need beforehand and had several of the ingredients on hand, but ordered the ones we didn’t have off of Amazon & shared if someone was still missing something. (When it comes to essential oils, I just try to make sure the ingredients list shows only 100% pure oil & somewhere on the label it is listed as USDA certified organic & non GMO.)

Here are the recipes for each of the goodies we made.

Whipped Body Butter:

1/2 c shea butter

1/2 c cocoa butter

1/2 c coconut oil

1/2 c light oil (almond oil/jojoba oil)

*Combine all oil in double boiler (we used a large glass mason jar in a pot of water) over med heat and stir until melted. Remove from heat, let cool slightly, then add 10-30 drops of essential oil/combo of your choice. Move to refrigerator for 1 hour or until starting to harden but somewhat soft. Use a mixer to whip for 10 minutes. Return to fridge for 10-15 min to set, then use a rubber spatula to distribute into jelly jars.

This is an awesome alternative to lotions packed with chemicals we put onto our largest organ – our skin! It also makes great gifts, & you can mix it up and make different scents. Lavender is more calming, whereas the citrus scents are more invigorating/energizing. I used about 12 drops of geranium rose and about 8-10 drops of lemon. It smells very feminine.

Elderberry Syrup:

Add 3 1/2 cups of water, 2/3 c of organic elderberries (you can order off of Amazon), & 1 tsp of cinnamon into a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour until the liquid has thickened. Strain the mixture to discard the leftover elderberries. After it’s cooled, add 1 cup of honey (I used 3/4 c) and mix well. Store in glass jar in the refrigerator. 1/2 tsp- 1 tsp daily to prevent illness during Fall & Winter months. You can increase the dosage if a cold/cough/flu is coming on.

Beard Oil (from Wellness Mama)

1/4 oz Jojoba oil (1.5 tsp)

1/2 oz sweet almond oil (3 tsp)

1/4 oz castor oil (1.5 tsp)

7 drops lavender EO

5 drops rosemary EO

3-4 drops Cedarwood WO

*Combine all ingredients in a 1 oz amber bottle with dropper. Gently swirl to mix. Apply 3-5 drops on hand to rub in beard.

Thieves Oil:

40 drops clove bud EO

35 drops lemon EO

20 drops cinnamon bark EO

15 drops eucalyptus EO

10 drops rosemary EO

This is the concentrate form, so it is very strong and must be diluted. It has several uses, but we will probably diffuse it and use it as household cleaner. Also can be used to make hand soap.

Rosemary-Sage Shampoo:

6 oz aloe vera gel

3 tbsp olive oil

5 tbsp baking soda

20 drops rosemary oil

10 drops sage oil

This is supposed to help thicken hair and stimulate hair growth. It would be great to use maybe 1-2 times a week. I made it for Jonathan because I have MORE than enough hair & don’t want it any thicker than it already is!